“Last Wednesday night, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee finalized a foreign assistance bill that guts funding for women’s health around the world. During a debate over the proposal, which would likely increase unsafe abortions and maternal deaths, Republican legislators boasted on Twitter that their legislation ‘protects the sanctity of life.’ In reality, the funding package does exactly the opposite: It undermines global health priorities and endangers women’s lives. … The bill considered by the House Appropriations Committee last week caps [family planning and] reproductive health funding at $461 million … bars any funding from going to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) … [and includes] a version of the expanded ‘global gag rule’ announced by the Trump administration earlier this year … Taken together, the funding cuts and policy restrictions in the House bill are an extension of President Trump’s persistent and pernicious assault on women and girls. The effects will be particularly devastating for the poorest and most marginalized women, including those living in rural and hard to reach communities. … The U.S. is the world’s largest funder of global health, and how Congress decides to appropriate money has reverberations across the globe…” (7/25).